Eight Mile Creek Watershed

The Eightmile Creek Watershed Managment Plan was completed in 2011. It is the goal of this plan to make recommendations necessary to bring all water quality parameters within State water quality standards for Fish & Wildlife as identified in Chapter 335-6-10 of the Alabama Code. The overall goal of these efforts is to identify and implement strategies that will lead to the necessary load reductions as determined by ADEM in the TMDL (72% reduction in pathogens for Eightmile Creek, and a pathogen reduction of 78% for the Gum Tree Branch). This plan seeks to implement environmentally protective and economically realistic best management practices (BMPs), where practical and technologically feasible, in order to meet or exceed water quality standards. BMP types and numbers prescribed in this plan are recommendations based on current land use practices, land cover, and watershed activities. Voluntary, incentive-based approaches will be used to implement BMPs throughout the watershed. Providing opportunities for local stakeholder input and participation will continue to be a critical BMP implementation component.

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A Watershed Management Plan is an essential first step in preserving water quality in a relatively pristine, tidally-influenced watershed and mitigating the impacts of future development pressures. The watershed planning process utilizes a stakeholder led process to characterize existing conditions, identify and prioritize problems, define management objectives, and develop and implement protection or remediation strategies as necessary.